Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 13 December 1999

Scottish Executive

Community Care

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-871 by Iain Gray on 15 October 1999, whether it is yet in a position to make an announcement on its response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care.

Iain Gray: As I indicated in the debate on Older People on 2 December we are already taking forward many of the recommendations of the Royal Commission, for example on the Care Commission, joint working, carers and direct payments. I will be chairing a Joint Future Group involving CoSLA and the NHS to look, among other things, at the balance between residential and home-based care and at charging for personal care delivered at home. The needs of older people, including those funding their own care, will be a key issue to address during the Spending Review next year.

Employment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are directly employed in quarrying and quarry production in each of the former Regional Council unit areas in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: At September 1998, a total of 2,672 people were employed in quarrying in Scotland. The table indicates how this figure is broken down in respect of the Regions.

  


Area 


Total Employed 
  




Borders 
  

66 
  



Central 
  

109 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

250 
  



Fife 
  

217 
  



Grampian 
  

338 
  



Highland 
  

434 
  



Lothian 
  

195 
  



Strathclyde 
  

749 
  



Tayside 
  

150 
  



Orkney Islands  
  

36 
  



Shetlands Islands  
  

60 
  



Western Isles 
  

68 
  



Scotland 
  

2,672 
  



  Notes:

  The above Figures are compiled from 1998 data prepared by the Office for National Statistics (Primary Production Mineral - Extraction in Great Britain - PA1007). The figures show the number of persons employed directly and indirectly during the week ended 5 September 1998 (or in the nearest normal working week) who were subject to the provisions of the Mines and Quarries Acts 1954 and 1969.

  The table includes a Scottish total of 76 employed in peat extraction, 34 employed in ore and other minerals extraction, and 53 in extraction of clays and shale. The totals employed include drivers of internal and external haulage and other vehicles, and contractors employed in drilling, blasting and plant installation. The figures do not include employment associated with the coal industry.

  While the above figures relate to employment in all types of quarrying, not all material quarried will be subject to a potential aggregates tax.

Europe

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that it has been as fully involved as possible in discussions about the formulation of the Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position on all European Union and international issues which touch on devolved matters.

Mr Jack McConnell: The mechanisms referred to in the Concordats covering co-ordination of European Union policy issues and international relations are designed to ensure that the Scottish Executive is fully involved in all European Union and International issues which touch on devolved matters. The mechanisms are in operation on a day-to-day basis, and the Concordats are available in SPICe for the attention of members.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any limits will be placed on Audit Scotland regarding access to commercially confidential information in each Scottish PFI project agreed to date.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive will not place any limits on the access of Audit Scotland, or any other auditors, to commercially confidential information in its possession which the auditors require in connection with audits or value for money studies.

Finance

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the next report on Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland .

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is today publishing Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland 1997-98 .

Fisheries

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any meetings with fishing co-operatives in Scotland and, if so, when these meetings took place, or whether it intends to meet them.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive has received no representations from any fishing co-operatives in Scotland asking me to meet with them, but I would be happy to meet them if such a request were to be received.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what length of notice was given to prawn fishermen in the under 10m fleet before the recent prohibition was introduced in nephrops fisheries on 12 October.

Mr John Home Robertson: Variations to licences to prohibit fishing for North Sea nephrops as of 12 October were issued by fisheries officers by post to owners of 10 metres and under fishing vessels from 6 October. In addition a press notice announcing the prohibition was issued by the Scottish Executive on 7 October. We are very pleased that the Executive was able to reopen the fishery subject to appropriate conditions on 25 October.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected overspend is in the current financial year for acute hospitals, broken down by hospital.

Susan Deacon: The latest figures available as at 30 September 1999, indicate that nine acute NHS Trusts are forecasting a year end deficit. It is not possible to present the information on a hospital by hospital basis as NHS Trusts are managed on an overall Trust basis and information on individual hospital units is not routinely collected.

  Those Trusts forecasting a deficit are being closely monitored and have been asked to consider how their financial position can be rectified as soon as possible.

  


Trust 


Year End forecast 
  deficit as at 30.09.99
  £000 




Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals 
  NHS Trust 
  

(2,123) 
  



Borders General Hospital NHS Trust 
  

(413) 
  



Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

(399) 
  



Grampian University Hospitals NHS 
  Trust 
  

(141) 
  



North Glasgow University Hospitals 
  NHS Trust 
  

(8,798) 
  



South Glasgow University Hospitals 
  NHS Trust 
  

(2,649) 
  



The Yorkhill NHS Trust 
  

(912) 
  



Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
  

(400) 
  



Tayside University Hospitals NHS 
  Trust 
  

(3,821)

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines have been issued to Tayside Health Board regarding the acute services review which is currently under way.

Susan Deacon: The Acute Services Review published by the Health Department in June 1998 provides the context for Health Boards reviewing acute services.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list by local authority area, per capita health expenditure in Tayside for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: Details of NHS expenditure are only available by Health Board or NHS Trust. Health Boards are responsible for the costs of healthcare for their resident population, whether this be spent within its geographical boundaries or in other locations. It is therefore not possible to provide data on a Local Authority basis.

  The table below shows per capita health expenditure by Tayside Health Board in the last five years.

 YearExpenditure per capita £  1994-95   806.66 1995-96   831.76 1996-97   861.92 1997-98   889.70 1998-99   937.03   

  The per capita figures have been calculated using the expenditure figures, as per the audited annual accounts, and the weighted population figures taken from the Scottish Health Service Costs Book for the relevant years.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list, by local authority area, health expenditure in Tayside for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: Details of NHS expenditure are only available by Health Board or NHS Trust. Health Boards are responsible for the costs of healthcare for their resident population, whether this be spent within its geographical boundaries or in other locations. It is therefore not possible to provide data on a Local Authority basis.

  The table below provides details of Tayside Health Board’s expenditure over the five year period and have been taken from the Board’s audited annual accounts.

 YearRevenue Expenditure £  1994-95   328,470,550 1995-96   339,941,279 1996-97   360,196,949 1997-98   370,292,050 1998-99   389,993,099

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list, by constituency, per capita health expenditure in Tayside for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: Details of NHS expenditure are only available by Health Board or NHS Trust. Health Boards are responsible for the costs of Healthcare for their resident population, whether this be spent within its geographical boundaries or in other locations. It is therefore not possible to provide data on a constituency basis.

  The table below shows per capita health expenditure by Tayside Health Board in the last five years.

 YearExpenditure per capita £  1994-95   806.66 1995-96   831.76 1996-97   861.92 1997-98   889.70 1998-99   937.03   

  The per capita figures have been calculated using the expenditure figures, as per the audited annual accounts, and the weighted population figures taken from the Scottish Health Service Costs Book for the relevant years.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list, by constituency, health expenditure in Tayside for each of the past five years.

Susan Deacon: Details of NHS expenditure are only available by Health Board or NHS Trust. Health Boards are responsible for the costs of Healthcare for their resident population, whether this be spent within its geographical boundaries or in other locations. It is therefore not possible to provide data on a constituency basis.

  The table below provides details of Tayside Health Board’s expenditure over the five year period and have been taken from the Board’s audited annual accounts.

 YearRevenue Expenditure £  1994-95   328,470,550 1995-96   339,941,279 1996-97   360,196,949 1997-98   370,292,050 1998-99   389,993,099

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local reviews of acute services have been undertaken by Health Boards in Scotland in the past five years.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local reviews of acute services are currently being undertaken by Health Boards in Scotland.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local reviews of acute services have been planned by Health Boards in Scotland to take place in the next five years.

Susan Deacon: Information on local reviews of acute services by Health Board area is as follows:

  


In Hand 


In the last five 
  years 


Under consideration 
  




Fife 
  

Argyll and Clyde 
  

Highland 
  



Forth Valley 
  

Lothian 
  
 



Lanarkshire 
  

Orkney 
  
 



Greater Glasgow 
  
 
 



Tayside 
  
 
 



Western Isles

Justice

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation to enable or require the appointment of a curator ad litem in litigation where (a) one of the parties is a body funded in whole or in part from public funds, and (b) where there is, in the conduct by such body in relation to such litigation, a conflict of interest or (c) it is otherwise in the public interest for such appointments to be made.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are no plans to introduce such legislation. In addition to the powers to appoint curators ad litem in specific circumstances provided for in primary and secondary legislation including the Rules of Court, Judges and Sheriffs have an inherent common law power to make such an appointment where it appears to them that the litigant is incapable of conducting litigation on his or her own behalf.

Public Appointments

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether changes are being considered to the present arrangements for making appointments to public bodies.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive believes that the time is now right to consider carefully whether the current procedures enable Ministers to meet fully and effectively the objectives of transparency and equal opportunities in post-devolution Scotland, and if not, what changes should be made. We are therefore planning to publish a wide-ranging consultation paper early in the New Year. The consultation paper will both provide detailed information about how the current system works, and invite views on the current system and on possible options for change.

  The consultation paper will in particular seek views on the following:

  should the Parliament be involved in appointments made by the Executive and if so at what stage and in what way? We are examining the experience in legislatures in other countries to see what lessons can be learned;

  whether a separate Scottish Commissioner for Public Appointments should be established – if so, what powers, responsibilities and reporting arrangements might he/she have?

  the role and appointment of independent assessors – including consideration of whether the composition of appointments panels should vary according to the nature/type of appointments;

  whether the targets inherited from the Scottish Office for achieving greater representation in public appointments are relevant; and

  more generally what more can be done to encourage women, disabled people and people from ethnic minorities to apply for public appointment?

  Any changes to the appointments system will affect large numbers of people across Scottish society. Arrangements will be put in hand therefore to ensure that the consultation exercise is widely publicised and that MSPs, public bodies and members of the public are able to make their views known before any final decisions on changes to the system are reached.

Trade

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, what plans it has to consult organisations representing Scottish companies, land holders and users, employees, and consumers on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position on the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep SNH informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which SNH will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Scottish Landowners Federation to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Federation informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Federation will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Scottish Crofters Union to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Union informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Union will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Federation of Small Businesses to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Federation informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Federation will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of any Scottish registered company to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep Scottish registered companies informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which Scottish registered companies will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Confederation informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Confederation will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Confederation of British Industry to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Confederation informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Confederation will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Scottish Trades Union Congress to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Congress informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Congress will be invited to respond.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2292 by Henry McLeish on 16 November 1999, when it last met representatives of the Scottish Consumer Council to seek its views on the formulation of Her Majesty’s Government’s policy position for the forthcoming Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; what steps it is taking to keep the Council informed of progress on the negotiations, and whether it plans to publish a consultation paper on non-agricultural aspects of the negotiations to which the Council will be invited to respond.

Henry McLeish: The negotiation of International Trade Agreements, including World Trade Organisation talks is a reserved matter and consultations with interest groups, including industry, is a matter for the UK Parliament. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with DTI on Trade issues and the WTO talks and how these may impact on the Executive’s responsibilities.